Summer doesn’t have to break the bank! Be sure to check out our free days in Denver 2023, Hundreds of Ideas for Daytrips with the Kids, plus these great recommendations from Visit Denver for free family fun.
1. THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Enjoying Colorado’s natural beauty is the most obvious budget-friendly option. Just-right temperatures year-round draw outdoor enthusiasts to our open lands and thousands of miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, wildlife watching, fishing and much more. Check out Denver Summer Fun Guide with 200+ ideas, Cool Off This Summer at Colorado’s Best Beaches, Guide to Denver’s Splash Pads and Spray Fountains and Best Hikes for Kids in the Denver area.
2. NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES
Colorado is home to seven National Wildlife Refuges that are free and open to the public. The refuge system was created to conserve America’s fish, wildlife and natural areas across the country. Each of Colorado’s refuges is home to diverse ecosystems where visitors can spot everything from bison and moose to hawks and bald eagles living and nesting among some of the state’s most spectacular scenery.
3. GEOLOGIC MARVELS
In Colorado Springs’ Garden of the Gods, those who walk the trails that meander around the park’s otherworldly red-rock figures search for geologic formations in the shapes of kissing camels, cathedral spires, praying hands and sleeping giants — and a few that seem to teeter in gravity’s grip. Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre in Morrison is comprised of massive, slanting red-rock outcroppings that rise from the earth to create an acoustically ideal natural amphitheater. Joggers love to run up and down the calf-burning steps (on non-concert days), hikers weave around the rock formations on a network of easy trails and all visitors enjoy the views of downtown Denver.
4. PEOPLE-WATCHING
16th Street Mall and Pearl Street Mall — in Denver and Boulder respectively — are the two most popular outdoor pedestrian malls in Colorado. They’re also the perfect place to get to know the character of these two Front Range towns. Peek in the shops, lounge on green areas and benches, and watch the local characters come and go.
5. AIR FORCE ACADEMY & COLORADO SPRINGS PIONEERS MUSEUM
Take in two symbols of American pride in Colorado Springs. The U.S. Air Force Academy’s visitor center and iconic chapel give you a glimpse of cadet life, academy history and the chapel’s beautiful stained-glass windows. At Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, permanent and rotating exhibits highlight the history and culture of the Pikes Peak region. View artifacts from Ute, Cheyenne and Arapaho cultures; photography by local artists depicting the history of the area and a special exhibit about Colorado Springs founder General William Jackson Palmer.
6. SCENIC GONDOLA RIDES
Hop on a gondola and soar high into the sky as you gaze down out at peaks blanketed in thick snow and dotted with evergreens reaching up toward you. Both the Telluride Mountain Village gondola and Breckenridge’s BreckConnect provide these stunning views to riders free of charge.
7. DINOSAUR WALKS
In Picket Wire Canyonlands outside La Junta, you can stand in a three-toed impression left in the bedrock by a brontosaurus 150 million years ago. The footprints, located in North America’s largest dinosaur track site, are reached after a very flat five-mile hike, bike or horseback ride. At Dinosaur Ridge near Morrison, you can take self-guided tours (guided tours are $4) of exposed fossils and footprints, as well as the excavation sites, including the site where the world’s first stegosaurus was discovered in 1877.
8. SCENIC & HISTORIC BYWAYS
While driving is not technically free, you won’t have to pay admission on Colorado’s scenic and historic byways — 26 routes that pass through the Rocky Mountains, the canyons and gorges of the Western Slope and the sun-kissed prairies of the eastern plains. With so many pathways connecting the dots between historic sites and vast acres of majestic scenery, Colorado’s the best state in the union for road-tripping. Learn about quirky roadside attractions in Colorado.
9. HISTORIC DISTRICTS
Colorado Historic Districts in classic mountain hamlets such as Breckenridge, Crested Butte, Durango, Telluride, Georgetown and Manitou Springs have maintained several of the structures built in the towns’ earliest days, giving visitors a peek into the past. Check each town’s visitor center for walking tours of sites with the most storied bygones.
10. COLORADO GHOST TOWNS
Abandoned yet well-preserved mining towns offer a fascinating window into the state’s rough-and-tumble past, when fortune-seekers, outlaws and cowboys roamed the West. Many Colorado ghost towns are accessible by off-road vehicle or ATV in the summertime, including Independence near Aspen, St. Elmo near Buena Vista and Animas Forks near Silverton.
11. FREE MUSEUMS
From the works of local artists to authentic moon rocks, Colorado’s free museums house a bounty of treasures. Find out how greeting cards are made at Leanin’ Tree in Boulder; or learn how Loveland earned the nickname Sweetheart City USA at the Loveland Museum/Gallery (Several galleries are free, but do note admission to art exhibits in the main gallery costs $7). At the Colorado School of Mines Museum of Earth Science, check out moon rocks, fossils and even a walk through an indoor cave to see minerals that glow.
Denver Summer Activities 2023
The Ultimate Denver Summer Activity Guide (250+ ideas)
Guide to Denver’s Splash Parks and Spray Fountains
Cool Off This Summer at Colorado’s Best Beaches
25 great fishing ponds in Denver
South Platte River Trail’s 25+ best parks, trails, restaurants and museums
Borrow a Colorado State Parks Pass from Your Library
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Author: Mile High Mamas
